Finger wipes or covers are known and used in the art for a variety of purposes. A common use of finger wipes (also know as a “finger glove” in the art) is for applying ointments, medications, alcohol, oral anesthetics, and the like, to various body parts. Such devices may also be utilized to remove various substances, such as makeup, or to clean body parts or other objects.
Finger wipes have proven particularly useful in the field of dental hygiene in that they provide a portable and efficient means for more frequent dental care, and as a cleaning device that can be easily used in public. In particular, a number of finger-mounted teeth cleaning devices have been developed that can be placed over a finger and wiped over the teeth and gums. These devices are typically small, portable, and disposable.
Examples of oral cleaning devices and finger wipes are disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,987 to McDevitt, et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,549 also to McDevitt, et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. An oral hygiene finger device is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,825 to Copelan et al. Other finger-mounted teeth cleaning devices were developed to contain an elastomeric material to help prevent the device from slipping or falling off the user's finger during cleaning. Examples of such teeth cleaning devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,941 to Dunn; U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,153 to Cole; U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,764 to Kaufman et al.; and PCT Publication No. WO 95/31154 to Mittiga et al.
For various economic and manufacturing reasons, it may be desired to produce the finger wipes from separate opposed layers or panels of material that are subsequently bonded together by suitable techniques. However, the cut edge or seam line of a non-woven laminate, especially near bonds, can have a considerable stiffness. With finger wipes, which are often used against sensitive body parts, the stiffness is undesirable in that it increases the potential for abrasions, cuts, and irritation from use of the finger wipe. In order to make the seam line of conventional wipes soft and more tolerable, the bonded area may be further treated, such as by creating microcuts along the seam. Alternately, the product may undergo an “inside-out” inversion so that the seam line is located inside of the finger wipe, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,549 B2.
Obviously, adding a cutting procedure or an inside-out conversion process inevitably increases the production cost and may make the product(s) economically uncompetitive to manufacture. Additionally, microcuts along the seam may not be desirable because sharp cuts along the seam may still injure or irritate sensitive body parts, such as the user's gum. Furthermore, microcuts along the seam may create undesirable residues or particles along the seam that can be transferred into the user's mouth or other body parts. Additionally, conventional cutting methods may be inadequate for producing clean cuts. For example, mechanical cutting can produce solid residues. A water-knife may contaminate the nonwoven surface, wash-out potential therapeutic agents, and also require a drying step. Laser cutting can produce stiff seams, and potentially hard cutting edges, from local burning.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a finger wipe with an improved seam structure.